Firefly: The Reynolds Chronicles
by Dahlia Rei
Summary: Firefly takes on a new twist as Malcolm Reynolds sister, Jennifer, enters the picture, string up strong emotions for Mal that he would much rather have stayed hidden. Things get even harder when many of Mal's enemies discover he has family so close by.
1. Chapter 1

The space station was crowded. And that had to be the biggest understatement of the century. Jenn shoved her way forward, trying to fight against the flow of people going in the opposite direction toward the mail depot. She knew he was going to be here somewhere. She'd been tracking him for almost a month now, he had to be here.

She pushed past a man carrying a sack over his back that hissed as he passed and smelled like crap. She shook her head and kept pushing forward, passed families and couples and very strange looking people.

Finally she heard it, his big booming laugh. Not his joyful laugh, or his happy laugh, but the laugh he would laugh when he was nervous, very nervous. She surged forward faster, pushing against the crowd drawing toward his voice. She could just make out his conversation now.

". . . and as I said, as soon as I know more, you'll know more," His voice came across the crowded area clear and firm. If there was one thing to be said about Malcolm Reynolds, it was that the man could talk his way out of just about any mess there was. Even though that mess was of his own making.

"I'll give you another three days Mal," a man with a sloppy English accent said, "but after three days, I'll have to hand the contract off to someone else, and then hire someone to kill you for not coming through on something this big. And I don't really have the credits to be doin all that right now."

A cold shock passed down Jenn's spine, had that man really just talked about putting a hit out on Mal with such nonchalance? He had to have been joking. Who talked about things like that so coldly? Jenn surged forward faster, fighting harder against the crowd and straining to hear the rest of the conversation.

"Well then we'll just be on our way and see if we can't help you out with the credit problem you're having." Mal said. Even though she couldn't see him, she could hear the smile in his voice.

"Three days Mal, don't make me regret this."

"Do I ever?"

They said something else as Jenn rounded the corner next to a stand selling ice planets. She almost barreled into a small Chinese boy talking excitedly in mandarin to another boy.

"Sorry," she called behind her as she skirted to the side and continued at run toward where she last heard Mal's voice. It was no good; he was gone by the time she got there. She spun around and tried to catch sight of him, but she was short, too short to see over the crowd that was swarming in from a recent transport drop off.

"Gāisǐ," she cursed under her breath, "Mal where did you go?" She spun again, still unable to catch sight of him.

Then she heard it, his laugh, coming from behind her, back toward the mail depot. She spun on her heel and took off after him again, having a much easier time now that she wasn't fighting against a swarm of people.

A few more feet and she could just see the top of his head in the distance. She knew it was him by that same old brown duster coat he'd had for longer than she could remember. She did find it slightly amazing that this close to the central planets no one seemed to be bothered by a brown coat openly displaying his colors. Maybe these people just didn't care.

After another minute of running she was just a few feet behind him. She could see now that he had Zoe with him, as always, right at his side. She smiled and came to a halt a few feet away.

She sucked in a breath and, as loud as she could, said, "Malcolm Reynolds!"

On instinct he and Zoe turned and their hands went to their holsters. A very large man Jenn hadn't seen on Mal's left turned also and all but pulled a huge gun from inside his jacket.

For a split second Mal took in the sight of her standing there and then without warning he rushed forward and grabbed Jenn around the middle. He lifted her up and spun her around; hugging her so tight she couldn't breathe.

"Ō, wǒ de shàngdì, nǐ shì shénme doing all the way out here? Why aren't you at home? How did you get here? Who's watching the ranch?" Mal fired off questions faster than Jenn could understand. She laughed and hugged him back.

"Mal I can't understand a word you're saying. Slow down," Jenn laughed.

"Uh, Captain," Zoe said, still standing with her hand over her gun, "perhaps you'd like to explain why you're pouncing on people in the middle of a crowded space station."

"Aren't you rude," Jenn said laughing.

Mal shot Jenn a warning look and turned back to his friends, "Zoe, Jane, meet Jennifer Reynolds."


	2. Chapter 2

2

"Captain please tell me you have taken to another wife?" Zoe said, sounding a little frustrated.

Jenn rounded on Mal, "you got married and you didn't invite me," she punched Mal in the arm, "you didn't even send a wave! Some brother you are!" Jenn stepped back out of Mal's arms and folded her arms across her chest.

"How could I have invited you?" Mal said with a laugh, "I didn't even realize I was invited!"

Jenn turned and raised an eyebrow at her older brother, "What does that mean?"

Mal opened his mouth to speak but was cut off before he could form the first syllable. "Captain I don't mean to misunderstand here, but since when do you have a sister?" Zoe asked, sounding more than a little lost.

Jenn rounded on Mal again, who stuck his hands up in a surrendering pose, "Now don't go getting all hostile, I'm sure I mentioned I had a sister once or twice, isn't that right Zoe?" Mal shot Zoe a little-help-here-look over the top of Jenn's head.

"What? Oh yes, that's completely right," Zoe said lying, badly, "now that I think of it I do recall you mentioning a little sister on occasion."

Jenn lowered her fist but continued to eye her brother suspiciously. He smiled nervously and lowered his hands. He was making that face, a face Jenn remembered well from their childhood, it was the same face he had made to their mother when the barn door had been left open and one of the pregnant cows had gotten lose. It had taken almost three whole days to find her, and by that point she'd already gone into labor and delivered her calf somewhere outside of the ranch. By the time they never did manage to find the calf. Probably got picked up by an outlaw or picked off by a predator.

Mal had gone to Jenn and made her swear to tell say that she and Mal had been playing by the river all night that night. She had to swear that he never went within a stone's throw of that barn all day. But when they were confronted by their mother, Mal's smile, the smile he was smiling now, gave it all away.

"I never heard nothin 'bout no sister," Jayne said, hand still on the gun in his jacket.

"Mal?" Jenn asked, "You seriously didn't tell anyone you had a sister?" She sounded less angry and more hurt.

"Zoe," Mal said without taking his eyes from his sisters.

"Yes captain. Jayne," she said rounding on the large man, "why don't you take these provisions back to the ship and make sure the waste dump is coming along on schedule. We have a deadline to keep."

"Oh no," Jayne, said, "not uh, no way. I'm not going near that crap hole."

Zoe stepped up to Jayne and said something very quietly that only he could here. The large man paled and cursed under his breath. He shot Mal a dirty look, then grabbed the bags and walked away, cursing as he went.

"Don't make him leave," Jenn protested, watching the large man sulk off, "he's the only one around here telling the truth!"

"Listen Jenn," Mal started, "it's not that I'm ashamed or that I don't want people to know I have a sister, it's just that . . ." Mal searched for the right words to explain to his sister that it wasn't safe for people to know that he had family, especially family he cared about. He shot Zoe another look, this time asking for help.

"Captain, I don't mean to interrupt your reunion," she said.

"Nonsense Zoe, interrupt away," Mal said, relieved at the momentary distraction.

"Perhaps this is a conversation best had back on the ship away from prying eyes and ears." She motioned slightly off to her left, standing a few yards away where two large men who weren't moving with the flow of the crowd. They stood openly staring at Mal, Jenn and Zoe.

"Time to go," Mal said. He grabbed Jenn by the hand and jerked her forward as he set off through the crowd at a run. Jenn hardly had time to grab her suitcase before she was yanked along after her brother. Without so much as a word from the captain, Zoe fell into step behind Jenn, hand on her gun, eyes alert.

Unseen by the crew, the larger of the two men pulled a small communicator from his pocket; he flipped it open and waited for the answer on the other end.

"Yes," a gruff voice said on the other end.

"Tell the boss we've found what he's been looking for. We found his weak spot."

-On Serenity-

Mal burst through the air lock still towing Jenn behind him by her arm, Zoe following close behind. They got through the air lock and Zoe slapped the button next to the door. There was a loud hiss as the doors closed behind them. Zoe punched a code into the panel under the button and the light above the door went from green to red.

"Doors locked Captain," She called after Mal who had made it to the middle of the cargo bay before he stopped to catch his breath.

"Good," he said nodding he turned toward the bridge and shouted, "Wash! WASH!"

"Yes captain," a slightly skittish red haired man called down. "What can I do for you today?"

"Get us ready to fly; we're getting the hell out of here." The man didn't ask questions, he just bolted back behind the door and disappeared.

"Zoe, find out if Jayne and Inara are back on board. I want be far and gone by the time their boss knows we were here." Just like the man Mal had called Wash, Zoe took off without a word or question. Jenn was impressed. The Mal she remembered couldn't command a dog let alone a crew full of people.

Once they were alone Mal turned back to Jenn. "So tell me sister, what exactly are you doin this close to the central planets? Does ma know you're out here alone? Not even an escort? I know what ma would say if she . . ." The look on Jenn's face stopped Mal mid-sentence.

"Mal," she said, voice shaking, "That's what I came to talk to you about."

Mal took a step back and sized his sister up. Her bottom lip was trembling, and she was clutching a think yellow envelope to her chest. Something was very wrong. Now that Mal looked he realized Jenn was dressed all in black, from the hat on her head to the shoes on her feet. She looked like she was in . . . mourning.

"Jenn," Mal said, "what is goin' on?"

Before Jenn could answer Zoe appeared in the door way leading to the medical bay. "Captain, we're ready when you are."

Mal looked at his sister a second longer and turned to Zoe, "Lets rabbit."

Zoe nodded and then looked back at Jenn, "Captain would you like me to . . . ?"

"No," Mal said, "I need to have a talk with my sister before we do anything else."

Zoe nodded and headed back the way she came. Mal turned back to Jenn; she had managed to compose herself enough so that she didn't look like she was going collapse into tears. Something Mal was exceedingly grateful for. He could shoot a bottle of a fence at over a hundred paces while riding a horse with one of his eyes covered. But when a woman started to cry, Malcolm Reynolds just lost his mind.

"Where can we talk?" Jenn asked, still clutching the yellow envelope like her life depended on it.

Mal sighed, "Follow me. I'll give you the grand tour and we can talk along the way."


	3. Chapter 3

3

Mal walked Jenn all over the ship explaining the medical bay, the passenger's quarters, and the cargo bay, the lounge area for the passengers, the different stairways, how to get here and there, and then the galley.

"Through here we have the galley; people can come and go up here as they please. But meals are on a schedule, or as close to one as . . ." Mal let his sentence trail off. As he and Jenn turned the corner and entered the galley, they were surprised to find the entire crew waiting at the table, speaking in hushed tones. Their conversations dropped as soon as Mal and Jenn entered the room.

"What's goin on here?" Mal asked, looking from one face to the other. The room was silent, and all eyes were down cast, with the exception of one.

Across the room there was a young girl, around Jenn's own age from what she could tell. She had long hair like Jenn as well, except that where hers was a dark brown, almost black in the dimly lit corner she was in, Jenn's was a softer more golden brown, almost identical to her brothers. She stared at Jenn completely unabashed or showing anything other than a deep curiosity.

Jenn blushed and looked to the ground. Something in the way she stared at her, like she could see right through her, made Jenn very uncomfortable.

"Come on now people, what exactly is goin on here?" Mal said, he was growing impatient and it was beginning to show.

"They were talking about your sister," The girl in the back said, "and whether or not she can be trusted."

"River!" A young man standing almost in front of her exclaimed.

"What," she asked, still making the same wide eyed face, "the captain asked what was going on. I thought I was supposed to tell the truth. Simon," she turned to the man, "should I not tell the truth?"

"No River it's alright, you need to tell the truth, you just also need . . ."

River turned her head sharply away from the man she called Simon and faced Mal. "Your mother is dead. That's why your sister is here."

Jenn gasped and turned an uncomfortable shade of white, Mal's jaw dropped completely open, and every face in the room looked from Jenn to River to Mal, and back to Jenn. The silence in the room was palpable, and the only person who seemed unaffected by River's statement, was River.

"Jenn," Mal said, in a very low whisper.

Jenn said nothing but looked at her brother; her eyes were huge and starting to fill with tears. Mal bit back on the urge to look away or to even walk away from his sister. She was gonna cry and there wasn't a whole lot he could do about that right now, he had to know.

"Is it true?" he asked, "about ma?"

"Mal I'm sorry," Jenn said, "I didn't want you to find out like this."

Mal paled and shook his head. "When?"

Jenn sniffled and looked down, she doing everything she could not to cry. She knew how much Mal hated when people cried. She sucked in a deep breath and said, "About a month and half ago."

Mal looked around for a moment, not really seeing anything; he grabbed the chair from the front of the table and collapsed into it. He put his head in his hands sighed.

Jenn took a step forward but stopped when Mal put a hand out to stop her. "Zoe," he said. And without a word or hesitation she was there at his side. Head up, eyes forward, hands behind her back.

"Captain," was all she said.

"Would you please take Jenn to my room and get everyone back to work. We still have a job to do."

"Captain . . ." Zoe started.

"Zoe."

"Yes sir." She nodded and turned to Jenn.

Jenn opened her mouth to protest but Zoe shook her head ever so slightly and lifter her hand to escort Jenn toward the captains quarters. She shot one more look at her brother over Zoe's shoulder, and then let the woman lead her away.

-Mal's room-

Jenn paced back and forth in Mal's cramped quarters. There didn't seem to be any kind of personal anything anywhere. Not so much as a picture or scrap of anything that would suggest the room was occupied. There was a desk against one wall; it had a number of different things on it. Books, charts, documents about Serenity and firefly class vehicles, but nothing that said 'Mal.'

Jenn thought about going through the draws of the desk to see if there was anything in there that would suggest the room belonged to her brother. But she dismissed the thought just as quickly as it had come. Mal hated when people went through his things, always had. When they had been children he would sometimes arrange his things just so, so that if she were to go in and play with his toys, he would know.

She sighed and walked away from the desk. She walked under the door way and listened. There was no noise, no voices or footsteps or sound of any kind. Jenn sighed and went back to pacing.

As she paced she pulled the yellow envelope from insider her jacket. She'd been carrying it for almost two months now. She knew the way it smelled its weight, the way it was bent slightly on the bottom left corner. Most importantly, the name scrawled across the front. Well not so much the name but the handwriting and the person who wrote it.

Jenn felt a stab of pain at the thought of her mother. She missed her so much some times. Poor Mal. She knew how much he loved their mother, she was his whole world for so long, and this was going to be a terrible ordeal. Hopefully he would let her help him. He could be so damn proud sometimes.

A sound at the door pulled Jenn out of her thoughts. The door pushed open and Mal slowly descended the ladder. Jus t before the bottom he reached up and closed the door. He punched a code not a small keypad next to the door and a green light turned to red above the door. He jumped down the last few stairs and waited.

Jenn bounced back and forth anxiously from one foot to the next. She stared at Mal's back waiting for him to turn around. She had been thinking for months about what she would say to him when this day came. How she would break the news to him. At least now the girl they called River had broken the hardest bit of news to him. Now she just had to focus on explaining to him the letter their mother had written to him and what happened now.

What happened to her now depended completely on him.

"So," Mal said, finally turning to face Jenn, "What happened to mama and why did you wait this long to tell me?"

"Mal," Jenn said, "I didn't wait this long to tell you on purpose. It just took me this long to mind you. Mama was adamant that I deliver this to you myself." She held out the envelope to Mal.

"What is that," mal asked, making no move to take it.

"A letter from mama, to you," Jenn sucked in a deep breath, her voice was shaking now and she knew she had to get it under control or she was going to break down, and that would just make things worse.

"What happened to her?" He asked, keeping his position under the door.

"She got sick," Jenn said simply. "After the war the planet was all but destroyed, and it took everything mama had to hold on to the ranch and to keep it going. We were one of only a handful of ranches and farms to survive the battles. After that mama wasn't the same. She was tired all the time, and she lost a lot of weight."

"I thought you two were on the other side of the world when fight got to shadow."

"Close to it, but war makes everything hard. And there were a lot of people who were lookin to take back what had been taken from them. We had to defend the ranch from all sorts of folk, lost a lot of good people that way, some of 'um family."

Jenn's eyes had glassed over, she wasn't in the room with Mal any more, he could tell that, she was back on the ranch. He wasn't sure what kind of things she had seen, but it had always been his hope that he would have been able to spare his baby sister the sights of war.

"Jenn?" Mal asked?

Jenn looked up at Mal, she didn't look like his litter sister right then, she looked older, more jaded then before. She blinked a few times and cleared her eyes. "Sorry," she whispered. She whipped a tear from her eyes and turned back to her brother.

Mal stepped up and put a hand on her shoulder. He squeezed and took the envelope with his other hand. "So what does this thing say anyway?" He asked.

Jenn shook her head, "I have no idea. It wasn't my letter, not my place to read it." Once Mal had the letter in hand, Jenn felt and unexpected rush of relief, she had fulfilled her mother's dying wish; she had honored her mother's wishes. In an odd way, she was happy.

"I guess I ought to see what it says then." Mal sat down at his desk and pulled a letter open from a stand near the top. It was small and looked like a tiny black katana. Jenn walked over and leaned against the wall next to the desk.

"Mal if you want me to go while you read that, I can head back to the galley or back down to the passenger area if you want some privacy."

Mal shook his head. "I'd rather you were here, just in case I've got a question or two." He smiled and Jenn could see right through the lie.

"You just don't want me wondering around telling people stories about when you were little and how cute you were when you took a pair of the ranchers chaps and . . ."

"Exactly!" Mal shouted, making a face at his sister, "that is the exact kind of thing I can't have you runnin' around tellin' people! I have a boat to run and I can't demand respect if you go telling people about things like that!"

Jenn opened her mouth to laugh but the ship suddenly pitched to the side. Jenn flew forward and landed on her face and Mal fell backwards out of his chair.

"Gǒu niang yǎng de what the hell is going on!" Mal shouted as he got up off the floor. He grabbed Jenn and yanked her to her feet. "Are you alright?"

Jenn nodded, "I'm fine. What's going on?"

"That's what I aim to find out."


	4. Chapter 4

4

"Wait here," Mal shouted at Jenn as he ran for the ladder. He was up the ladder and out the door in was seemed like a second.

"Like hell I'm gonna stay here," Jenn muttered to no one in particular. She ran to the ladder and stopped. She darted back to the desk and snatched the yellow envelope off the desk. She tucked it back inside her jacked pocket and ran out the door after her brother.

Mal got to the bridge in a matter of seconds. Wash was scrambling fiddling with knobs buttons and the different screens that surrounded his station. "What the hell is happenin to my gorramn ship?"

"Uh I'm not exactly sure yet captain," Wash said, still frantically trying to get the ship corrected.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Mal shouted. He turned to Zoe who was standing behind her husband staring intently at one of the view screens. "Zoe, report!"

Zoe turned to report but was cut off by Wash, "Gǒu niang yǎng de! Captain we've got alliance!"

"Tā mā de are you sure?"

"What's going on?" Jenn asked, bursting on to the bridge.

"That's what I'd like to know," Jayne said, bursting in behind Jenn, almost knocking her to the floor. Mal looked like he wanted to say something to Jayne but a loud persistent beeping pulled his attention back to the screens.

"Hey Mal we're being hailed. It's a police cruiser what do you want me to do." Wash seemed even more frantic now.

"What's the big deal?" Jenn asked. "It's just a cop."

Every one exchanged a mutual look over Jenn's head. Mal looked back down at his sister, against his better judgment he said, "patch um through."

"Captain are you sure . . ." Zoe started.

"Just do it," he said.

Wash looked to Zoe for a moment; she nodded slightly and turned back to Mal. "Captain are sure this is a good idea?" She asked.

"No in the slightest," Mal answered turning to face the screen. "Evening officer. What can I do you for this fine evening?"

"Sir are you the captain on this transport?" The officer said, not even responding to Mal's attempt at pleasantries.

"Yes sir I am." Mal answered. He straightened slightly and stuck his chin forward a bit. He looked more like a captain every one kept calling him and less like the brother Jenn had bid farewell to almost eight years ago. He'd grown; she hadn't really seen it until now. Sure he was taller and he wasn't the skinny little kid she'd know, he had muscle now. He was a man. Jenn felt a strange swell of pride in her chest. That was her brother, Malcolm Reynolds, Captain.

"Are you aware _captain_," the law man said it like it was a joke, "that you blew out of port at excessive speeds, without proper authorization, and almost caused a major accident when you few out of atmo without waiting your turn."

Mal shot a worried look to Zoe who, without a word, slipped away and off of the bridge.

"Well I can't say as to . . ." Mal started.

"Any one of these offenses is punishable by a minimum fine of 200 platinums or a maximum sentence of vessel impounding. What do you have to say to these charges?"

Mal paled and glanced back the way Zoe had went. There was no sound or noise of any kind to suggest that Zoe had accomplished what she had set out to do. Now Mal was worried. Not that oh-my-goodness-mama-is-gonna-be-so-mad-I-ate-the-cookies worried, but worried like Jenn had never seen.

"I asked you a question Captain," the law man said, clearly losing his patience now.

"It's my fault officer," Jenn said, stepping up in front of Mal. The camera buzzed as it adjusted to take in Jenn who was almost six inches shorter than her brother.

"What in the dìyù are you thinking girl?" Mal whispered in Jenn's ear.

"What I have to do to save your lái mǔ yǐncáng," Jenn whispered out of the corner of her mouth.

"Excuse me?" the office said, taking in the sight of Jenn, all in black.

"It's my fault officer. You see I was on the station picking up," Jenn turned her face to the side and sucked in a deep shaking breath, "my . . . mother's remains." She sniffled and cleared her throat.

Mal took a step back and sized up his sister. He wasn't sure what she was planning, but she looked to be about to cry, and that wasn't something Mal had the patience to deal with right now. For now he was just going to let this play, at least until Zoe gave word she was ready.

"Your mother's . . ." the law man repeated.

"Remains," Jenn said, her voice breaking slightly. "She just passed a few weeks back and . . . and I just want to get her home to Shadow so we can lay her to rest on her own land." At that Jenn broke down in sobs. She brought her hands up and continued to sob loudly into her hands.

The lawman looked more confused and uncomfortable then even Mal. Who at this point looked like he wanted to be just about anywhere but where he was right then. After second or two of silence Jenn sobbed louder, now shaking as she cried.

"Oh . . . uh . . . well," the law man stammered.

"I asked the captain and the pilot to make as much haste as my small allowance would manage. She'd been so sick and away for so long, I just want to get her home. I didn't realize how the departure rules worked on such a big planet. I'm so sorry office. I just wanna get mama home." Buckets of tears were pouring down Jenn's face now. She looked up at the camera and stared at the law man looking like her mother had died right then and there.

"I'm . . . uh. . . I'm so sorry young lady," the law man was still stammering. He didn't seem to know how to handle the young woman crying at him the way Jenn was. "I understand your predicament. I lost my father during the war." He didn't seem to be looking at Jenn anymore.

"I'm so sorry," Jenn whispered. She glanced at Mal out of the corner of her eye. She knew how he felt about the war and worried he might start something if the law man went into too much detail about the war and the sides.

For now at least he seemed to be quite. Well not so much quite as mortified by the sight of his sister a hair away from complete hysterics. He took another small step back stood shoulder to shoulder with Jayne, who had already loosed his gun and was just waiting for the excuse to shoot someone or something.

"Well that's been some time ago now," the law man said, clearing his throat. "I understand your situation and I don't mean to slow your journey."

Mal looked dumbfounded at the fact that whatever Jenn was playing at seemed to be working. "Mal what is your gorramn sister trying to pull here?" Jayne asked, annoyed as always.

"I honestly have no idea," Mal whispered back.

"Just keep better track of landing and departing laws and watch your speed when you break atmo," the law man said.

"Thank you officer, I surly will. You have my word and the word of the captain and pilot as well that we'll keep to the laws on this world and any other we aim to make port at." Jenn seemed somber but the river of tears continued to flow down her cheeks and splash down on the outside of her jacket.

"That's good," he said, appearing to be relieved that this conversation was finally coming to a close. "Here, I'm gonna send a code to your pilots station, when you get to Shadow, if there's a wait to make port, give them this code. It should help expedite your landing."

"Oh thank you so much," Jenn said, "you're really too kind." Jenn's voice broke at the end and she collapsed back into her hands in complete sobs.

The law man blanched and said, "Well remember to keep an eye on your speed and mind the laws." Jenn nodded while keeping her face in her hands. "Good day then."

The screen went black after a second and then a light beeping signified that the code the law man had sent had finally been received. "Is he gone," Jenn asked, still sobbing in her hand.

Wash brought up the radar and checked, "yeah he's out of rang . . . now."

"Thank god," Jenn said looking up, sounding perfectly fine, "I can put on a cry when I need to but that was starting to push even my considerable acting talents. She smiled, happy and proud to have helped her big brother out of jam. She turned, hoping to see him smiling back. Instead she saw all four faces turned toward her in mutual shock and astonishment.

"What's wrong?" She asked, sounding suddenly down.

"That was . . . amazing!" Mal said. He looked like he couldn't believe what his sister had just done. "How did you . . . where did you learn how to do that?"

Jenn laughed, "Do you remember what I used to do during the summers while you were learnin' to run the ranch with mama? I was at acting camps. A whole mess of um."

"Shiny," Jayne said smiling.

"More than that," Wash said, looking at the screen in front of him. "Mal you should see this code he gave us. This is the real deal, like alliance military grade."

"Méiyǒu zài yòng kāiwánxiào ba?" Mal asked, glancing over Jenn's shoulder to see what Wash was staring at. "Ń, gǒu shǐ yī zhuān you aint kidding."

"Captain, we're ready," Zoe called from somewhere beyond the door.

"No need Zoe, Jenn here just saved all our hides."

"Did she now?" Zoe asked, appearing out of the shadows, "how exactly did she do that?"

"She cried," Wash said, sounding more than a little amused.

"Oh really?" Zoe said, laughing, "And that worked?"

"More than worked I'd say," Wash laughed, "look at this shiny code the law man gave me." He sounded almost giddy.

"Quite shiny indeed," Zoe laughed, "how did you learn to do that?"

"I am Mal's sister ya know," Jenn said, "the same sneaky, lying, underhanded blood that courses through his veins courses through mine too."

Everyone laughed except Mal, "Now what does that mean?" he asked, turning to face his sister.

"That you're my sneaky, lying, underhanded brother and I'm your sneaky, lying, underhanded, cuter, little sister," Jenn said smiling.

"I don't know about cuter," Mal said, "I always thought I had the looks in the family."

Jenn and Mal broke down laughing. It had been a long time since she and her brother had laughed together like this. It made Jenn feel more at home on this ship floating out in the black than she had in long time back on the ranch.

It almost felt like home.


	5. Chapter 5

5

"What's goin on?" A young girl said from the doorway. Jenn turned to see who was there and was shocked to find another young girl around her age again. Only this time there was a striking resemblance between the two of them. Same light brown hair, same pale complexion, they even had the same round open face. They were by no means identical, but they were certainly very similar.

"Hey Kaylee," Mal said, "There's not much goin' on here. How's Serenity holding up?"

"She's just fine cap'n," Kaylee said, smiling, "she doesn't take to bein tossed about so, but she's all shiny now."

"Good," Mal said smiling back, "see too it she stays that way." He turned back to Wash and started talking about delays to their time frame and how the code might be used to speed things along. Kaylee remained in the door way. She laced her fingers in front of her and twirled one of her feet around on her toes. She looked nervous. Yet still she held her ground waiting.

"Uh, cap'n?" She asked.

Mal turned, "Was there something else Kaylee?"

Kaylee looked from Mal to Jenn and back again, then again, and once more. She was trying to give him a hint about something she wanted. But Mal seemed completely oblivious. He just stared growing more and more impatient as each second passed.

"Oh for the love of," Jenn grumbled as she moved past Mal. She shot him a squinty look as she stepped up between him and Kaylee. "Hello," she said loudly. She stuck out her arm and "accidentally" elbowed Mal in the process.

"Oops," Jenn said, smiling at her brother. Mal raised an eyebrow and looked to be about to argue about just how sorry she was, when Jenn turned back to Kaylee. "I'm Jenn, Jennifer Reynolds. I'm Malcolm's little sister. It's nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand.

Kaylee looked shocked, "Uh . . . it's um, nice to meet you too." She clasped wrists with Jenn and gave a firm shake. Jenn smiled and Kaylee smiled back. "I'm just so glad you aren't another one of Mal's wives!" She laughed and looked at Mal, but stopped when she saw that Mal wasn't laughing.

"Kaylee why don't you go see if there's anything Serenity needs. Make sure she can make it to where we're going. You know I don't like surprises."

"But cap'n I already done all that, 'fore we ever broke atmo," Kaylee said. She looked slightly hurt that the captain was attempting to get rid of her.

"Kaylee . . ." Mal started.

"Ghuh ghuh," Jenn said, sounding displeased with her brother, "you don't have to be so rude. You haven't introduced me to hardly any of your crew."

"Mei-mei," Mal said in a warning tone.

Zoe suddenly turned back to Wash and started engaging him almost completely irrelevant conversation about St. Albans and what kind of weather the might expect when they got there. At first Wash looked at her like she was sah gwa, but when he heard the noise level behind him rising, he turned and started discussing the ever constant winter on St. Albans with his wife.

Jayne on the other hand just stood and stared. He reached into one of his many pockets and pulled out a package of Blue Sun popcorn flavored protein and began to chow down and enjoy the show.

"Fine!" Jenn said, frustrated at Mal for his unwillingness to listen. She rounded on Kaylee who had been slowly trying to creep backwards away from Jenn and Mal's fight. "Kaylee, I was wondering if you would be so kind as to take me to meet the rest of my brother's crew. Since he seems to be unable to do this simple thing for me, his _only_ little sister."

"Gāisǐ de mèimei bù míngbái wǒ yǒu gōngzuò zuò," Mal muttered under his breath. "Fine, if you want to meet the crew, we'll me the crew." Mal stepped forward to lead Jenn back through the ship, but was stopped by his sister's hand on his arm.

"Mal," Jenn said, suddenly serious. She reached into her jacket and pulled out the yellow envelope from their mother. Mal paled at the sight of it. "You need to read this. You have to understand, this was the last thing she asked of me. You have to read it."

Jenn's frankness took Mal back. He glanced down at the letter. After a moment's hesitation he took the letter from Jenn and slipped into the pocket of his pants. "Alright mei-mei," he said resigned. He turned to Zoe and Wash, "Zoe, keep an eye on things here, I'll be in my room if anything interestin happens." He turned to Jenn, "Go with Kaylee meet the crew. I'll send for ya when I'm done."

"I can show her around if you like cap'n," Jayne said stepping up.

Mal rounded on Jayne, "Ya know Jayne, I don't reckon that'll be necessary, ever."

"Hell Mal I was just tryin ta be polite. I weren't gonna hurt her or nothin," Jayne said, trying to placate Mal.

Jenn could see a fight brewing about her brother from a mile off. She turned to Kaylee, "So who's left to meet?" Jenn smiled and tried to ignore the hurling of Chinese cures words coming from behind her.

"Uh . . . well," Kaylee thought for a moment, "seein' as how you've met Wash and Zoe, and Jayne too. There's River and Simon, and Book and Inara." Kaylee smiled to. It was a bright and infections smile. The longer Jenn stared at her the happier she felt. It was like her happiness was contagious.

"Ok," Jenn said, happy for the distraction, "so what do you do on the ship?" Jenn asked as Kaylee led her from the room.

"I'm the mechanic," Kaylee said proudly. It was odd but the way Kaylee talked about the ship and what she does for her, reminded Jenn of the way a mother would boast about her child.

"You seem . . .," Jenn searched for the right word.

"Young," Kaylee added cheerfully.

Jenn felt her cheeks color a little, "yeah. I'm sorry I don't mean to be rude I know it's not my place to judge."

Kaylee laughed. "Listen to you, soundin' all proper with your apology. 'Specially when there aint nothin to be apologizin' for. I know I'm young, but my daddy used to tell me it don't got nothin to do with age. It's just a gift I got for the machines."

Jenn was intrigued, "What kind of a gift?"

"They talk to me is all, tell me when they're hurtin' an such. Cap'n says that's what makes me so good at this job."

"Hu," Jenn said, "I've heard rumors about people being gifted like that. But I've never actually known anyone who was able to talk to machines like that. It's quite impressive."

"Aw shucks," Kaylee said, blushing. She and Jenn wondered down the front corridor and into the galley. Behind the counter stood an older gentleman, he had coco skin with salt and pepper hair, which he had tied behind him in a knot.

Jenn hesitated at the door, while Kaylee strode in and up to the man.

"Shepherd, got someone I want ya to meet." She smiled and gestured toward Jenn who still stood in the doorway.

"Ah yes, the infamous sister of our dear captain," the Shepherd stepped around the counter and smiled warmly. He extended his hand and clasped Jenn at the wrist politely. He was dressed in the traditional garb of a shepherd and smelled faintly of leather and books. There was something off about him though. While he appeared to be a man of god on the surface, there was something in the way he carried himself that unsettled Jenn. Every step and move was on purpose, no over stepping, no excessive energy spent. That suggested some kind of heavy training to Jenn, and not the kind your typical shepherd received at the abbey.

"Do you usually size up every new person you meet?" Shepherd Book asked, completely at ease under Jenn's scrutinizing gaze.

"I'm sorry," Jenn said, releasing Book's hand, "it's just a habit. Blame my brother."

"Well it's easy to see you resemble him in many different ways."

"Thank you," Jenn said, surprised to find herself so at ease with a man of god.

"Now do you and your brother also share the same opinions about god?" Book asked. It wasn't a pointed question, or an accusation. He seemed to be generally curious.

"No," Jenn said, mildly guilty, "Mal was always the one with the faith. I believed in the land more than I believed in anything else. But that's the way my mama raised me." Jenn smiled at the thought of her mother, and for a moment she was too caught up in her own memories to notice the faces Book and Kaylee were making.

"What's wrong?" She asked, coming out of her memories. Both Book and Kaylee looked shocked. "What did I say?"

"No it's nothing," Book said, "I simply didn't know the captain was ever a man of faith."

"What are you talking about," Jenn said, "Mal's always had more faith than a church full of folk. He even has the cross mama gave him. I've never seen him take it off."

Book and Kaylee exchanged a look. "Well I think there are more people to be seen and met, isn't that right Kaylee?" Book asked.

"Yup on our way down to see Simon and River," Kaylee said, glad for the change of subject.

"I would be cautious if I were you," Book warned, suddenly somber.

"Is everything ok?" Kaylee asked

"They're fine," Book assured her, "River was just having an . . . episode after the ship started shaking."

"Oh," Kaylee said, sounding somewhat disappointed.

"I trust everything is ok now?" Book asked.

"Yeah, just some alliance patrol causing some problems," Jenn said, waving it off like it was nothing.

Book's eyes widened, he turned to face Kaylee, "are we alright, should we warn the Tam's?"

Kaylee's eyes got wide now, she tried to shake her head and pass the hint along to Book that Mal hadn't yet explained about the situation with the Tam's. Nor had he explained that the Simon and River residing in Serenity's passenger dorms was the infamous brother and sister that the entire alliance was looking for.

"Who are the Tam's?" Jenn asked, "And why are we warning them?"

Kaylee looked to the Shepherd for help. "Well Simon's sister River is a special girl and she requires a lot of care," Book started, "Sometimes changes and loud noises, and even lot of new people at once can have a very jarring effect on her."

"Oh," Jenn said, understanding. "Will she be ok meeting me?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine so long as Simon's there," Book said. "Well if you two young ladies will excuse me, I have a supper to prepare." Book turned and headed back behind the counter to the supper he was preparing.

"I guess we should keep going," Jenn said to Kaylee, looking hopeful again at meeting new people.

"Right," Kaylee said with a nod. She smiled again and started to lead Jenn down another set of stairs that empted near the passenger dorms. "You'll like Simon and River," Kaylee said as the descended the stairs, "Simon's as smart and as sweet as they come. And River can be a real darlin when she's in the mood for it."

"Ok," Jenn said laughing.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs they could hear shouting coming from the medical bay. Two people were fighting, but with the door closed Jenn couldn't tell about what. They hurried to the bottom of the stairs and rushed to the med bay.

"River please you have to calm down," Simon shouted as he tried in vain hold his sister down on the medical table. "Please I'm only trying to help you."

"Noooooooo!" River screamed, struggling against her brothers arms, "they'll come for me when you don't see, take me, hurt me, try and break me. They can't break me if they can't find me. I have to go!"

"Simon," Kaylee called from the doorway, looking confused.

Without a thought Jenn rushed through the door way and up to Simon. "What can I do to help?" She asked.

Simon looked at her for a moment then said, "In the draw over here I have the sedatives, I need one to calm her down." Jenn nodded and ran to the drawer; she shuffled through the different syringes until she found the one that she knew for sure was a sedative. She ran back over and handed it Simon.

"Will this work?" She asked.

Simon glanced down at the syringe and then back up at Jenn, "yes that's perfect." He took the syringe and injected it into his sister's arm. She continued to scream and jerk around for another second before she finally succumbed to the sedative and passed out.

Once she was still Simon rolled her on her side and checked her eyes and vitals. Once he was satisfied he pulled a blanket over his resting sister and turned to Jenn and Kaylee. "Thank you," he said as he extended his hand toward Jenn, "I'm Simon and this is my sister River."

"It's nice to meet you Simon," Jenn said, clasping wrists with Simon. "Is she ok?"

"Yes and no," Simon said, glancing lovingly at his sister. "She's fine for now. We'll have to see how she's doing when she wakes up."

"I have to say," Jenn said, studying Simon and River more closely, "you two look awfully familiar, I sear I've you before."

"Well I used to be a doctor on Osiris," Simon said without thinking.

Something clicked inside Jenn's head, "Shénshèng de gǒu shǐ wǒ bù xiāngxìn you're that brother and sister the alliance is looking for everywhere." Jenn was talking very loudly now. "You're supposed to be armed and dangerous! What are you doing on my brother's ship!"

Simon looked alarmed as he glanced to Kaylee for help. His eyes widened at something he saw there but Jenn was beyond noticing. "Do you have any idea what will happen to my brother if you're discovered here! I can't let you . . ." Jenn was cut off from a sound behind her.

"Jayne no!" Kaylee yelled. Before Jenn could turn to see what was wrong, something hit her on the back of the head and everything went dark.


	6. Chapter 6

6

"JAYNE!" Mal bellowed as he flew down the stairs toward the medical bay. It had taken all off ten seconds for the news that Jayne had knocked Jenn out to reach Mal. As far as he could tell there wasn't a word in the verse to explain how mad he was right then.

He burst through the door of the medical bay and grabbed Jayne by the scruff of his shirt. Despite the size difference between the two men, Mal through him against a wall and drew his pistol. He pressed the end of the barrel to Jayne's temple and held the man to the wall by his shirt."Would you mind explaining to me what my sister is doin liyin' there on that table with the print of your gun still fresh on the back of her head?" Mal was screaming so loud his voice seemed to fill the entire room.

Jayne opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. He opened and closed it a few more times without saying anything. He looked like a fish that had jumped on to land and was now gasping for air. Simon tired to take a step forward toward Mal.

"Doctor if you make one move that aint to help my sister then you and me are gonna be dancin' next, that clear?" Mal asked, his voice dripping with menace. He never looked away from Jayne, who continued to squirm under Mal's blazing gaze.

Simon said nothing but stepped back to where he was. Kaylee looked around unsure of what to do next. She was standing at Jenn's bed side holding her hand. "Cap'n," She started.

Mal ignored her.

"Captain," Zoe said, appearing in the door way, she had run all the way from the bridge but you wouldn't know it by looking at her. She was calm and completely in control. After a few seconds Wash showed up behind her, breathing heavy and sweating slightly.

"Zhè shì bù hǎo de gǒu shǐ," Wash muttered under his breath.

"Sir," Zoe said.

"Ya know I'm think real hard here Jayne," Mal said, his voice now quite and dripping with acid, "and I can't seem to recall a decent 'nough reason to keep you breahin'"

"Captain I'm not sure that's a wise course of action at this point," Zoe said. She remained in the door way, completely still.

"Mal she was screamin bout the girl, threatinin' to bring the alliance down on our heads!" Jayne screamed, "I had to stop her."

"Jayne, not another word," Zoe said. "Sir as much as Jayne deserves this, this isn't the time or place to handin' out punishment."

"Oh really?" Mal asked, "How do you figure that?"

"Sir," Zoe said, taking a step toward the captain, "we need Jayne for job. Justified or not we can't afford to be down a man on this."

Mal gritted his teeth and pressed the barrel a little harder against Jayne's temple. Zoe's words had obviously gotten through to Mal, and he seemed to be even angrier because of it. He continued to stare Jayne down, the seconds passed like hours. Everyone in the room waiting to see what Mal would do.

"Shèngjié de shén my head hurts."

Every face in the room turned to the table where Jenn was lying, now awake. Every face but Mal's; he continued to stare at Jayne. "Doctor I'd be much obliged if you would see to my sister."

"Right," Simon said, turning Jenn. "How are you feeling?" He pulled a pen light from his pocket and clicked it on, "can you follow this with eyes?"

Jenn waved him off, "get away from me. Mal what the hell are you doing?" She moved to get off the table, but Simon held her down. "I said don't touch me!" Jenn said.

"Jenn it isn't what you think," Kaylee protested.

"Zoe, take Jayne to his quarters and lock him in," Mal said. He holstered his pistol and turned to Jenn. Zoe stepped up the second Mal moved and nodded to Jayne to follow.

"Will somebody please explain to me what's going on?" Jenn demanded.

"Mei-mei," Mal said, "What you think these two have done aint exactly the truth." Mal told Jenn about how Simon and River came to be on his ship and with Simon's help he told her what they had done to River.

"How can they get away with something like that?" Jenn demanded, frustrated. "Why wouldn't people have said something by now? Or done something to stop them?" Jenn was horrified. The thought that someone could just take these gifted children and turn them into human guinea pig, it was infuriating.

"What you're feeling right now," Simon said, "all that anger and unanswered questions, that's exactly what a felt when I first got River's messages. It doesn't get any better. It only gets worse. Especially when River has a bad day"

Jenn felt awful, "Simon I'm so sorry I made such a fuss. I had no idea."

"It's alright," Simon said smiling sorrowfully, "you get surprisingly used to it after a while."

Jenn reached out and placed a hand on Simons. She gave a gentle squeeze and tried to look reassuring. "It still doesn't make my reaction acceptable." She said quietly.

Simon nodded and Jenn turned to Mal. "Dàgē dàgē, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have caused you so many problems. What can I do?"

Mal put a hand on Jenn's shoulder and said, "You can stay out of trouble long enough for me to read mama's letter." He smiled that devious smile he had.

"You mean you haven't read the letter yet!" Jenn exclaimed.

Mal laughed and shrugged. "A captain has to tend to his ship and his crew. An he's gotta put that 'for everthin else."

Jenn scowled at her brother who couldn't help but laugh at his sister's attempt to be mad at him. She looked more constipated than anything else. "Stop laughing at me and go read that letter," Jenn said. She had tried to be mad at her brother but his laughter was infectious, she had to get him out of the room before she completely cracked.

"Go read your letter Mal," Jenn said, after Mal continued stand and chuckle into his hand. "Please before some other crisis draws you all important attention away."

"All important hu?" Mal asked, "I like the way that sounds."

Jenn scowled again and raised her fist to punch her brother.

"Alright mei-mei," Mal said, still laughing, "I'm goin." He turned to Simon and in a very serious tone said, "Doc I don't wanna see my sister outta this bed 'til she's fit to be, do you and I have an understandin?"

Simon opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it and just nodded at the captain. "We do Captain."

"Mei-mei, you stay here til our fine doc here has a chance to fix you up right," Mal said at the door. "And doctor, see if you can't fix that bàng bàng stuck up her pìgu dòng."

"What!" Jenn shouted. She ripped one of her shoes off and hurled it her brother's head. But the automatic doors were already closing. Her shoe bounced harmlessly off the glass and Mal roared with laughter from behind the door.

"Tā mā de biǎo zi de érzi," Jenn muttered under her breath as she scowled after her brother.

Simon looked around the room for a moment and tied to find a way to distract himself. But his sister was sound asleep and Kaylee had slipped out at some point during the commotion. It was just him and Jenn, who was still fuming on the table. He couldn't help it anymore, he burst out laughing. "I'm sorry," he said through fits of laugher.

Slowly Jenn turned her head to face Simon, "I can't imagine what could possibly be so funny," she said, her words venomous.

"It's not so much funny as, well actually kind of sad," Simon said thinking about it for a moment. He stopped laughing and smiling all together. "Seeing you two together made me think about me and River. We used to fight and play like that." Simon was quite now; he stared at his sister looking like his heart might break. "I had always hoped that when I got River away from . . . that _place_ she and I would go back to being the sister I always knew."

Jenn could tell Simon was hurting, but she honestly didn't know what to say to the man. She hopped down off the table and walked over to where he was standing over River. Gently she put a hand on his shoulder. He didn't move to accept her hand, nor did he move to push her off. He just stood, staring.

"What if I had gotten to her sooner? What if I hadn't been so unwilling to part with that money or if I had started asking questions as soon as River stopped writing? Maybe I could have saved her. Maybe I could have kept her from getting this bad. Maybe I could have . . ." Simon trailed off.

"Simon you can't blame yourself for what happened to your sister. You did everything you could to help her. Most people would have just let the letters be and done nothing. But you saw what she was saying, saw through the code and saved her. Simon you saved her." Jenn said. "I know it doesn't seem like it now, but she will get better. She can live and be free and she has you to thank for that."

"She has me to thank for being mentally ill and fugitive from the government we used to find shelter under," Simon said, shirking off Jenn's hand and her words of comfort.

Jenn stepped back, "You're wrong about that." She walked over to the door that opened with a hiss as she approached. She kicked her shoe over with her toe and slid her foot back in. "She has you to thank for her life." Without another word Jenn stepped through the doors and walked toward the stair case she was sure would lead her back to Mal's room.

She was wrong.

Somehow she ended up back in the Cargo bay, which only confused her more. She walked to the middle of the bay, over what looked like the Bombay doors. She turned around in circles, looking to see if she could spot something familiar. But when Mal and Zoe had been leading her through Serenity she had been completely absorbed in deciding wha to tell him about mama and her letter.

Now she was lost.

Jenn thought again, she knew that Mal had taken her upstairs that was where the galley and the crew quarters were. So she would head upstairs and see what she couldn't figure out. It was a ship; it could only be so big. She certainly wasn't going to call out for help and let Mal know she'd snuck away from Simon without being checked out again. She didn't like doctors. Not that she had anything against Simon personally; she was just never comfortable around doctors.

She headed up the stairs and the up the second set passed the landing. The stair case she was on continued up another flight and then there were cat walks that led to four other doors. She glanced up the stairs, but couldn't see anything past the bend of another landing. She was sure she'd only gone up one set of stairs but that was before shed be clobbered by that giant Jayne.

Jenn went up the first few stairs and tried to hear something that might hint her in the right direction. But she couldn't hear anything up the staircase.

"Can I help you?" A smoother female voice said from behind Jenn.

Jenn started and turned around. Standing there was a probably the most beautiful woman Jenn had ever see. She had long dark curly hair, dark sultry eyes, and her clothes looked like they were made from the finest silks ever produced. She startlingly beautiful, and from the looks of it very, _very_ upset to see Jenn standing on Serenity's deck.

"Hi," Jenn said unsure wha to say to this woman.

"Who are you?" She demanded? He tone carried a kind of authority that demanded answering.

"I'm Jenn, uh Jennifer Reynolds."

The woman covered her face with her hand and exclaimed, "Mal nǐ méi chūxi de érzi huò ěr, not another wife!"


	7. Chapter 7

7

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Jenn exclaimed frustrated at being called Mal's wife for

what felt like the hundredth time today. "How many wives has that lǎn méi chūxi brother of mine

had?"

"Brother?" The woman said shocked, "Mal's your brother?"

"Well I'm certainly not his wife. I'd like to think I have more sense than that," Jenn said the last

part more to herself than the woman standing before her.

"Tiān nǎ," She said, looking extremely relieved, "I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding, Jennifer

was it?"

"Just Jenn please," Jenn said, studying the woman before her. Whoever she was Mal must be

_very_ important to her. She looked ready to scream when she thought Jenn was Mal's wife, and now she

looks so happy she could cry. No one else on the ship had had such an extreme reaction. "And you are?"

"Inara Serra," She said politely. She glance up and saw Jenn studying her, sizing her up the same

as she had done to Book, and in a flash she was completely controlled. Her face was an emotionless

mask, beautiful, but empty.

Jenn knew for a fact that took years of training, and not just any kind of training. She was a

companion. Now that Jenn really looked at her it was obvious. Her grace, fine clothing, and elegance

should all have been indicators that she belonged to the guild, but toss in her clear control over her

emotions and there was no doubt.

"You're a companion," Jenn said bluntly.

There was the briefest glimpse of shock across her face, but it was gone almost as fast as it had

come. If Mal hadn't taught Jenn to be mindful and to look closely at things and people, she would have

missed it entirely.

"I am," Inara said without shame.

"Registered I'm guessing."

"Correct."

Jenn nodded, "What in the qī jiè dìyù are you doing out here, and on my brother's boat no less?"

Inara paled slightly and flash of something that looked very similar to shame streaked across her

face. But it was gone as soon as it had come, once again. Silently she thanked her brother for training

her to have a quick eye.

"That is a very, _very_ long story," the way she said it made it sound final, like that was all she

planned to say about it. Jenn thought for a moment and then decided that it would be best not to press

this stranger for any additional information.

"Well then," Jenn said awkwardly.

Inara smiled, a very well trained smile that was meant to put a person at ease, and it worked.

Jenn could feel the nagging worry from being lost slowly start to melt away. She smiled back at Inara,

"so do you know where exactly I could find that useless brother of mine?"

Inara laughed and shook her head, "I don't know if I would call him useless. Maybe rude,

uncouth, or even unwashed," Inara said.

Jenn laughed this time. "I can agree with that. Especially that last part. I remember when Mal

was younger he went through this whole faze where water was the enemy," she laughed recalling a

younger Mal, "he would go for weeks at a time without so much has brushing his teeth. It would get to

the point where mama would have to get the help of the ranch hands to hold him down while she

tossed a bucket of water over his head!"

Inara laughed a high uncontrolled laughed. She looked more like a young woman then than a

registered companion. "It's so funny," she said, "because I can just see Mal's face when the bucket is

dumped on his head!" She started laughing again.

"Now I cannot imagine what the two o' you are talking 'bout that could be quite that funny,"

Mal said appearing behind Inara and Jenn without making so much as a sound.

Jenn turned, clearly startled, but Inara slowly turned around as if she had known the whole time

he was there. Mal stood just a few feet behind them on the cat walk, eyeing the two of them

suspiciously.

"Gǒu niang yǎng de Mal!" Jenn exclaimed looking slightly frazzled. "Why do you have to do that

creepy sneaking up on me thing!"

Mal laughed at the sight of Jenn's obvious anger and shrugged, "Just tryin to keep you on your

toes, no harm in that now is there?"

Jenn scowled silently back at her brother and then turned her attention back to Inara. "How do

you put up with this all the time? And in such confined spaces!"

Inara laughed and smiled wickedly at Mal for a moment, then looked back at Jenn, "its simple,

my doors lock."

Jenn smiled and chuckled as Mal, looking confused, looked from one woman to the other. "I

think I'm missin' somethin here."

"Then you should be perfectly comfortable, as it is you are always missing something, Captain,"

Inara said, mockingly.

"Now that just ain't nice," Mal said. He opened his mouth to say something else but was cut off

by his sister.

"So what is up with you and all your wives?" Jenn asked.

Mal opened his mouth to answer but was cut off, this time, by Inara.

"Well, wives isn't really correct," she said laughing, "there was really only one, although he did

get duped by her twice.

"Twice!" Jenn exclaimed mockingly. "I've never met a soul, aside from myself, that could dupe

Mal more than once, even once was pretty rare."

Inara laughed and said, "well then I suspect he must be slipping in his old age."

Jenn laughed as Mal looked on completely dumbfounded. "You know I think you might be

right," She said looking him up and down, "I can see the grey now that I'm looking close enough.

Before he could stop himself, Mal's hands shot up head, covering the hair at his temples. "What

. . . I ant' got no . . ." Mal trailed off as Jenn and Inara burst into laughter. "You too just aint nice."

Jenn stopped laughing and put her hand on Mal's arm, "You know I'm just teasing you dàgē, it's

been years since I had the opportunity to do so."

Mal put his hand on Jenn's and squeezed it. He smiled at her in a way Inara had never seen

before. For just the slightest moment he didn't look like the war hardened criminal she had come to

know so well. For just a moment he was some ones big brother. Inara smiled to herself, she wasn't sure

how long Jenn planned to stay, but for Mal's sake, she hoped it would be a while.

Mal stepped back as Jenn stepped off the last rung of the ladder to his room. Jenn looked

around the room, stuck again by the lack of anything that really said Mal. It was sad in an odd way. Mal

went to the desk and opened a drawer. He pulled something old and beaten and handed it to Jenn. It

was a picture, one that Jenn was very familiar with.

It was an old picture of Mal and Jenn. They couldn't have been more than four and seven at the

time. Their father had gotten Mal his first pony that day, and a pair of riding pants just their fathers to

wear while he learned to ride. Jenn had never seen him smile so big as when he brought that horse out

of the barn.

He had named her Misty. Their Pa had said it was good luck to name a horse after something

that had to do with water or the ocean. Something about old gods that Jenn couldn't quite remember.

"I can't believe you still have this," She said quietly stroking the photo with her fingers.

"Only one I've got," he said with a sort of kindness in his voice. "Lost most every bit of precious I

had during the war. Save that right there."

"It's sad to think this probably the only picture left of us from this young." Jenn said, lost in her

own memories.

Mal's face darkened and the lines from war and his life on the rim came flooding back to his

face. He was Mal the criminal again, not the brother. "Yeah well I reckon that's a reason we went to

war."

Abruptly Jenn said, "Mal why haven't you read the letter yet?"

Mal, caught slightly off guard said, "well I was . . . and then there was this thing . . ."

"Thing?" Jenn asked sarcastically.

"Yes a very important thing. Monumental really."

"Mal . . ." Jenn said, almost whining.

"Ya know I think I hear that monumental thing calling me right now." He stood and moved

toward the door. But Jenn got up and blocked his path.

"Please," was all she said.

Mal stopped. He may be one of the toughest people he knew, but nothin could stop him in his

tracks faster than his little sister.

Mal sighed and racked his fingers through his hair. He gently took the picture from Jenn and

returned it to its drawer. His hand hesitated for a moment, hovering above the drawer; finally he

reached back inside and pulled out the thick envelope from his mother. With his back still to his sister,

he ran his fingers across his name eloquently scrawled out on paper. It had been so long since he'd seen

his name written by his mother. He thought about the beautiful she has and the way she could. . . His

thoughts trailed off.

"Had," he said silently to himself. She had the most beautiful hand writing, not no more.

"Mal," Jenn said, stepping up beside him, "did you say something?" She placed a hand on his

shoulder and felt him tense at the touch. She quickly pulled her hand away but held her ground next to

him.

Mal didn't say anything, he just continued to stare at the envelope. After another minute of

silence Jenn said, "you have to read it Mal, it's the only way you'll understand what Mom wanted.

Please I need you to read it before we make port again."

"Now why do you have such a powerful need for me to be readin this letter so soon?" Mal

demanded, frustrated.

"Once you read it, you'll understand," Jenn said quietly. "Now please before something else

comes up."

"And what if somethin' does come up? Things on this boat have a way of goin funny when you

don't keep right on them."

"I'll take care of it," Jenn said. She walked over to the com at the door, completely ignoring her

brother's protests. She stared at the consol for a moment and the punched a rapid set of numbers. After

a moment the com buzzed and Walsh appeared on the screen.

"Hey Mal what is it? I've gotta do . . . whhaa . . . you're not Mal?" He said after he finally looked

at the com screen and saw Jenn standing there.

"Nope not that old," Jenn said brightly.

"Hey now," Mal said from behind Jenn.

"Oh hey Mal," Wash said, "now I've always wondered how old is Mal, Zoe knows but I've tried

to crack that vault before. Oh how I've tried. There was this one time on Persephone . . ."

"Wash!" Mal said sternly. He darted his eyes from Jenn back to Wash in a not-in-front-of-my-

sister kind of way.

"Oh sorry," Wash said. "What can I do for you?"

Before Mal could answer Jenn piped up, "I need Zoe to meet me outside Mal's room right now if

she can."

"I can," She hear Zoe say from somewhere off to the side.

"Thank you," Jenn said. She shut of the screen and walked over to the door. She paused and

turned back to Mal. "Read the letter Mal, don't make me beat you up in front of you crew ok?" Then she

disappeared up the ladder and out the door, leaving Mal standing in the middle of his room looking

more confused than ever.


	8. Chapter 8

8

By the time Jenn got to the top of the ladder and out the door, Zoe was already standing there waiting. She reached a hand out and helped Jenn up the last few rungs of the ladder.

"Thanks," Jenn said, "and thank you for meeting me here without knowing why. I didn't wanna say anything else in front of Mal and give him another excuse to put off reading the letter. "

Zoe gave a small giggle, "don't thank me just yet, I haven't agreed to help you with whatever it is that you want. Mostly I'm here to annoy the captain."

Jenn smiled, "that works for me."

"So what do you want?" Zoe asked, looking Jenn up and down. She was wearing a plain grey skirt that came down just past her knees she had on plain black shoes and grey wool jacket that was old and at least a size to large for her. After a second Zoe realized she was wearing old school mourning clothes. She was still mourning the loss of her mother.

"I need you to make sure Mal doesn't come out of this room until he reads the letter. I know it's a lot to ask you and it's not your business or anything, but you're the only one he'll listen too. And you're the only one other than that . . . very large . . . very . . . slow man from earlier, that could stop him if he tried to come out."

Zoe was quite for a moment after Jenn finished talking. After a few seconds she said, "alright I'll help you. But on one condition."

Jenn hesitated for a moment, looking the tall woman up and down, "okay," she said, "what do you want."

"First, how did you know me the first time we met?"

Jenn stared at Zoe for a moment, "what do you mean?"

"You knew me before the captain introduced me. I could tell by the way you looked at me," Zoe seemed amused more than anything. Like Jenn was an interesting puzzle she hadn't quite solved yet.

Without saying anything Jenn reached into the black bag she had slung over her shoulder and began to rummage through what sounded like papers. After a minute or two she pulled out a pack of envelopes packed together with a rubber band. She pulled of the rubber band and went flicking though the letters.

"When Mal first volunteered to go fight in the war I was devastated," Jenn said still flicking though the letters, "and the only way Mal could keep me from completely breaking down when he left, was to promise me that he would write every week and let me know he's safe."

Zoe quickly took count of the letters in Jenn's hand and the thought of the war, "There's not enough letters," she said simply.

Jenn looked up from the letters, her face tight as she tried to keep from showing what she was feeling. "I know," she said quietly, "after the battle of Serenity Valley I didn't hear from Mal again for almost a year. And since the Brown Coast was almost all volunteers, it was impossible to get any kind of information about him."

Zoe looked away from Jenn for a moment, she remember the battle and the change that Mal went through after that. The whole platoon had died, save three of them. And in the end they had just surrendered, pretty much saying that all those people had died for nothing. Mal just couldn't live with that. It changed him, in a lot ways it made him the criminal he was today.

"I thought he had died." Jenn's voice brought Zoe out of her train of thoughts. Her voice was hollow and distant; Zoe started to wonder if she had made a mistake asking Jenn about anything. But Zoe wasn't a woman who was frightened off by much of anything; she pulled her face into a calm emotionless mask and stood her ground.

"We thought he was dead for almost a year. We actually had a memorial service for him," Jenn laughed a little but it wasn't a happy laugh. "My mom couldn't take it. After they bombed Shadow and we lost touch with Mal, mom went kind of crazy started . . ." She trailed off. Jenn looked up suddenly at Zoe who still stood keeping her face a mask.

"Oh I'm sorry," Jenn said smiling sheepishly, "sometimes I just ramble off."

Zoe said nothing.

"Here," Jenn said, pulling something out of the envelope in her hand and held it out to Zoe.

Zoe looked her up and down for a moment, but took the paper anyway. She flipped and over and was surprised to see herself looking back up at her. It was a picture from when she and Mal had first met. She had been enlisted for maybe two months at the time. It was they're whole platoon, standing around smiling and waving at the private who had taken the picture. There was Mal smiling like a fool, next to him it was her, unsmiling and stern. She even spotted Tracy off in the back.

Her heart gave a sudden jerk as she realized that everyone in this picture was dead, save Mal and herself. Even Tracy was gone now. She thought back to watching Mal shoot Tracy. He had gotten mixed up in so much trouble and he'd brought down on them. As far as Zoe was concerned he was dead the second he'd pointed that gun Wash. Nobody threatened her husband and walked away, no one.

"Mal sent me that right after it was taken. He wanted to show me the men he was working with and he wanted to show me you." Jenn said. She was smiling now. "He said he was sure he'd never had a better friend than the friend he'd found in you. He even told I didn't have to worry because you had his back and he felt sorry for any man that crossed you. I know it's strange but seeing you and reading what he said did make me feel better."

Zoe smiled; she took on last long look at the photo and handed it back to Jenn. "You're brother really didn't need me," she said, "He was a good man and better fighter, saved my skin more than a few times."

Jenn beamed at Zoe as she rubber banded the letters back together and stuck them in the bag. "So what's number two?"

"What's in the letter?"

"Oh," Jenn said her smile fading instantly, "Mostly it's my mom taking about how much she loves Mal and how she was always proud of him for not giving up when everyone else did. She explains how he can get his inheritance and . . ." Jenn struggled to find the words, "she . . . also talks about what's going to happen . . . to me now."

Zoe could tell that Jenn was hiding something, but she had already gotten too involved with this girl and her feelings, so she decided to let it go for now. "Alright I'll stand watch. What are you going to do?"

Jenn smiled, "hide."

"Hide?" Zoe asked?

"Yup. When Mal gets done with that letter he's not gonna be very happy and I know that it's gonna take a few minutes for it to sink in. So I'm gonna hide and give him a chance to do that." Jenn smiled and for a moment Zoe could see the relation to Mal clear as day.

"Any ideas where you're gonna go?" Zoe asked amused.

"No. I got kind of lost just getting up to the cockpit."

Zoe smiled a wicked grin and said, "Try the other shuttle or the passenger dorms. Mal's rarely down there because the shepherd's down there. Or the Tams."

Jenn smiled again, "Thank you Zoe." She said as she turned and started to run down the hall. She stopped and looked from the stair case to the door that leads to the galley. She looked back and forth between the two for a moment and then turned back to Zoe.

"Take the stairs all the way down, the dorms are next to the medical bay."

"Right! Thanks Zoe." Jenn turned and disappeared down the stairs, leaving Zoe standing alone in the hallway. She let out a long deep breath and shook her head. She wasn't sure why but she had a feeling that things aboard Serenity had just got a lot more complicated.


	9. Chapter 9

9

"Goram door," Jenn muttered as she tried the door to the empty shuttle for the third time. But it was locked and she didn't have time to try and figure out how to unlock it. She glared at the door one last time and turned hoping to have time to run and hide in the passenger dorms before Mal went on a rampage.

"Gǒu niang yǎng de!" Jenn screeched when she turned. Standing less than five feet behind her was the man large slow man her brother had called Jayne. "What the fǎn tiāntáng are you doing back there?! Trying to give me a heart attack?"

Jayne smiled as he looked Jenn up and down for a moment, "What cha tryin to do in that there shuttle girly?"

"Girly?" Jenn said, "are you kidding me?"

"That aint an answer." He was still smiling and it was beginning to creep Jenn out.

Jenn sighed, "I'm trying to find a place to hide from my brother for a little while. He's gonna be pretty upset in a little bit and I don't want to be in his warpath when he is."

Jayne straightened up at once and stopped smiling. "Mal's gonna be angry ya say?" Jayne asked, more to himself than to Jenn. "Damn."

Jenn looked the man up and down for a moment, he was much taller when he wasn't slouching and leering at her. But the mention of an angry Mal seemed to have him in a bit of a frenzy. He started to pat himself down and when he pulled a grenade out of the same pocket as his flavored protein; Jenn started to panic.

"Well look at the time," Jenn said, eying the grenade Jayne was holding very casually, much too casually for Jenn's comfort. "I should get going before Mal finds me."

"Right," Jayne said, almost dropping the grenade. Jenn lurched backwards against the door of the shuttle. When her bag smashed against the door it let out a loud bang that seemed to bring Jayne back out of what can only be assumed was a train of thought.

"Where you gonna hide?" He asked Jenn who was eyeing the stairs next to her, wondering if she made a run for it how far could she get before the mad man with the grenade caught up to her.

"I don't know," she said honestly, taking a slow creeping step toward the stairs. "I was going to hide in the shuttle," she motioned behind her at the door, "but it's locked so I guess . . . the passenger dorms?" It came out more of a question at the end.

"Right," Jayne said. He stuffed the grenade in his pocket and turned around a few times before reaching out and grabbing Jenn by the hand.

"Hey what dìyi do you think you're doing?!" Jenn yelled out in protest. But Jayne seemed not to hear or to care. He ran for the stairs, pulling a protesting Jenn right behind him. She tried to yank her hand from his but there was no way she could break the hold he had on her.

Down the stairs and through a few hallways, Jenn was dragged against her will. After a few moments she stopped struggling and focused more and not falling on her face. After about three minutes of being dragged around in what seemed like circles the came to the passenger area at the back of the ship.

Jayne continued to run toward the dorms, right past the Sheppard who looked on speechlessly as they passed. Jenn tried to call out for help but they had come and gone too quickly and she was unable to get a word out. After another moment, Jayne came to a dead stop in front of what looked like a small room stuck in the side of the wall with one next to it and one stacked on top of it.

Jayne opened the door and all but threw Jenn in side. He glanced around, making sure that no one was around, and then he slipped in and closed the door. He clicked the little lock on the handle, it wouldn't withstand much force, but it would give him forewarning enough to get his gun ready.

Jenn pressed herself back against the far wall and watched as Jayne checked and rechecked his gun. He was a large man and even sitting the way he was, he covered most of the door. There was no way to run past him and charge the door. She was stuck, that much was sure, but why he had thrown her in here with him, that was what really worried her.

After ten minutes had passed, Jenn stopped keeping her back pressed against the wall, but continued to keep to the back of the room. Jayne stayed facing the door, gun in hand, not even noticing Jenn. After another ten minutes passed Jenn pulled a box close to the wall and sat down, Jayne continued not to notice. After a full half hour had passed Jenn was starting to get annoyed. She was going to have to talk to her brother at some point, waiting around this long was sure to piss Mal off.

Deciding that she could take Jayne so long as he didn't get to his feet, Jenn got up, and summoning all the courage she could must at the moment, she walked up to face him. "Excuse me," she said, tapping him on the shoulder.

He ignored her.

Getting annoyed, Jenn tapped his shoulder harder, "I said excuse me," she said louder. Faster than she could react to, Jayne reached up and grabbed Jenn's hand pulling her down to the ground next to him. He rolled her over and clamped his hand over her mouth. With his other hand he put a finger up to his mouth shushing her.

Jenn, more shocked than obedient, shushed. Within a few seconds she could hear something, shouting, coming closer.

It was Mal, and he was angry.

"I am telling you Zoe she has to be around here somewhere," Mal shouted, as he moved closer to where Jenn and Jayne were hiding.

"I've looked all over sir," this time it was Zoe, "wherever she's hiding I can't find her. And we have few more important things to worry about right now."

Something about her tone made Jenn still. Something was wrong. "Look there'll be time for that later, right now I have to talk to my sister about this." There was a sound of paper changing hands and then silence.

"Nǐ yīdìng shì zài kāiwánxiào ba," Zoe exclaimed, "she wants to live here? On the ship?"

"The letter is from our mother, she wants me to take her on, take care of her an' such till she can," paper crinkling again, "finds her way."

They were right outside the door now, "Captain we can't afford to have anything go wrong on this next job. If the client sees someone we didn't account for on the ship we're humped."

"Wú tā mā de zài kāiwánxiào," Mal muttered, "we need to find her and find somewhere for her to be for the next while before she gets herself killed."

"Or any of us," Zoe added.

The sounds of their footsteps down the hall drowned out the rest of their conversation. Jayne released Jenn and got to his feet. Jenn did the same, keeping a careful ear out to make sure her brother didn't sneak up on her.

"I don't know much," Jayne said, "but it sure does sound like you're in a lot more trouble than you bargained for."


End file.
